Even with injuries piling up, the Chicago Bulls have managed to find ways to win. After their blowout loss to Memphis (without Derrick Rose), the Bulls have won three straight games.

Rose said of his left big toe sprain that it won’t get any better this season but he’ll play tonight when the Bulls (15-3) host the New Jersey Nets (5-12).

Not-So-Good News: Power forward and Bench Mobster Taj Gibson is out indefinitely with a high ankle sprain with no timetable for his return. Bulls forward Luol Deng, who played and started all 18 games this season is out with a left wrist. Injury report lists him as day-to-day, but certain media is reporting otherwise. He is averaging 15.9 ppg and 7.5 rpg in 38.3 mpg.

“I just got hit on it, but it will be fine.” – Luol Deng on current injury

“It’s just real sore. It’s real painful; I just have to take it slow. I’m just lucky nothing was broken and nothing was torn. That’s the bright side.” – Taj Gibson on current injury

Good News: Joakim Noah (left ankle; game-time decision) and John Lucas III (left groin strain; day-to-day) are both likely to play tonight.

My Thoughts: No worries Bulls Fam, we have a Bench Mob we are known for! Whether it’s newcomer Mike James (who? Mike James!), Brian “White Mamba” Scalabrine, CJ Watson, Ronnie Brewer, Omer Asik, the Bulls have players they can trust to go out there and play their hearts out. Why else would they still be the number one team in the league? They have the depth. They have a solid team that will pick each other up when a few pieces are missing. They each have a role they are filling and most importantly, they have a coach who won’t let something like injuries bring the team down.

“Our second unit plays a lot, so if there’s an injury, the next guy steps up and we go from there. We got 14 guys on the roster that can all play.” – Coach Tom Thibodeau on the current injury situation

A point guard sets the tempo of the game and can create a shot for his teammates or himself. A leader on the court. When the Bulls pushed the ball down the floor quickly, outscoring Phoenix 13-11 in transition on Tuesday, it was because of their point guard play. The Bigs follow and the guards are why. Bulls Fam sit and think, Derrick Rose. They would be right, but I am talking about all of the guards on the Bulls roster. Rose, CJ Watson, John Lucas III and Richard “Rip” Hamilton.

Rose has sat out the last two games with a sprained toe/turf toe. CJ Watson suited up for the third time this season. An elbow injury sidelined him for nine games. The Bulls were coming off their worst loss of the season, 102-86, in Memphis in which they played without Rose and Rip. Watson, starting in place of Rose, scored 15 points in the first half without missing a shot. He finished with 23 points on an eight-of-12 shooting and dished out five assists in his 33 minute performance. Not bad for his third game of the season.

Watson did great filling in for Rose. I’d like to say he has a “D-Rose Flow” when he is on the court. He ran the offense, drained big shots, drove aggressively in the paint when needed and got his teammates good looks. His fellow Bulls have nothing but praise, because when they need him, he comes through.

“CJ’s been a great player his whole career. He’s always played behind guys that were very good. It’s tough playing behind the MVP this year… He leads our Bench Mob when we’ve got a full roster. He’s a very good pro to say the least.” – Bulls forward Carlos Boozer on CJ Watson

Despite the last two games, John Lucas III has been a breath of fresh air for the Bulls. Standing at 5-feet-11, there is nothing short about his game.

“He (Coach Thibodeau) can put me in at the three, I got their back, because I just love being out there on the court. I love the game of basketball. I love to win. I can’t stand losing; I hate it with a passion.” – John Lucas III on playing time

When Rose, Watson and Rip were down and out with injuries, Coach Thibs put Lucas to the test with his first NBA start at the point in the Bulls’ 78-64 win versus the Washington Wizards on Jan 11. Lucas almost posted a triple-double, scoring a career-high 25 points, grabbing eight rebounds and handing out eight assists in 45 minutes. Before the Wizards game, which will now be known as the John Lucas III game, Coach Thibs was asked who would be backing up Lucas. His response, “Lucas.”

Never mind going 11-for-28 (39%) on the floor, it was his first start and it opened up a lot of opportunities for the Bulls’ Bigs. They out-rebounded the Wizards that night 62-46.

Let’s get to know Bulls newcomer Richard “Rip” Hamilton. Former Piston. Former champion. Hungry athlete. Tuesday night, against the Suns, he returned to the lineup for the first time since January 4, when the Bulls visit and beat his former team, the Pistons. On Tuesday, he posted 11 points and six assists in 21 minutes of play.

As a fan of the Bulls, I’ve spent many years cheering against Rip, and for good reason. He plays great defense, he is a consistent shooter and he leads the floor on offense. Now, years later, he is still the same Rip, just in Bulls uniform.

At 33 years, Rip still possesses the same speed and athletic ability he did when he first entered the league. He runs, the defense follows and he finds an open teammate. That is what happened in the first quarter of the Bulls-Suns game. Five of his six assists came in that quarter.

“I just try to get out there and run, using my speed and endurance for easy plays. That’s the best thing about us. We’re all unselfish. If you get up and run, guys will find you.” – Richard “Rip” Hamilton on his play/speed

When Rip was first acquired he said:

“The only thing I lost was that trophy at 26, and now it’s time to try and get that thing back.”

He’s fitting into Coach Thibs’ game plan alright, especially since he is a defensive-minded player. It’s almost a match made in Basketball Heaven, along with MVP Rose. Taking the pressure off of Rose has been the goal all summer and guys like Rip, Watson and Lucas can definitely help out in that department.

The Chicago Bulls host the Detroit Pistons tonight at the Madhouse of Madison.

The Bulls last played in Atlanta on Saturday, in which they lost 109-94, breaking their six-game win streak.

In the loss, the Bulls defense was almost non-existent. The Hawks’ 109 points were the most allowed by the Bulls this season.

At one point, the Bulls allowed the Hawks to shoot 68 percent on the floor and 90 percent behind the arc; they finished 57 percent on the floor and 75 percent behind the arc.

Derrick Rose went three-for-10 on the floor for eight points. The starters looked fatigued; they were not moving the ball on offense, which led to pointless one-on-one games leading to turnovers. The Hawks, as a team, did a good job of containing Rose and the Bulls defensively.

“I give them credit. They played the way they’re supposed to. Our defense let them score easy baskets in transition.” – Derrick Rose on the Hawks’ play

Positives: John Lucas III tied his career high, scoring 16 points off the bench in under 20 minutes of play. Kyle Korver also brought a spark off the bench with 13 points, going three-for-five behind the arc. The bench mob lived up to their name and scored a total of 62 points.

The Bulls will look to bounce back tonight against the Detroit Bad Boys. The Bulls won the last contest in Detroit January 4 99-83.

Former Piston and current Bull, Richard Rip Hamilton is questionable tonight with a sore groin.

My Keys for Tonight:

1.       Defense. This is the team to start experimenting with different defenses. The Pistons are not doing well this season, and the Bulls are shorthanded, but against the Hawks, found out what kind of players we have in John Lucas III and Jimmy Butler.

2.       Intensity. Where was it in Atlanta? Like former Bull and analyst Norm Van Lier used to say, “I need 48 minutes of intensity!” The Bulls need to bring the energy at home and take care of the ball.

3.       Communication. Better yet, they need to move the ball. The Bulls play better in transition and when moving. They have the speed and chemistry to move the floor. The Bulls did not communicate on defense or offense. There were times when certain players weren’t aware on what was going on, leading to commit to a double team, leaving the paint wide open for easy buckets. The Hawks scored 54 points in the paint.

The Chicago Bulls are on a four-game win streak and are visiting former-Bull Ben Gordon and the Detroit Pistons tonight.

Injury Update: A sore groin could sideline former-Piston Richard “Rip” Hamilton. This could be his third consecutive game missed. Rip is currently a game-time decision. CJ Watson might be out for the rest of this week with a left-elbow injury. No exact date on his return, once the swelling goes down, the Bulls will release more info. Until then, Watson is day-to-day.

Familiar Face: Former Bull Ben Gordon is currently averaging 18 points per game and the Pistons are 2-3 this season.

Recap: Last night, the Bulls put a mighty performance in the fourth quarter to steal a 76-74 win versus the Atlanta Hawks at the United Center.

The Bulls came out sluggish and settled for jumpers. They scored 42 points in the first three quarters combined and trailed by as much as 19 points.

However, a few defensive plays by Omer Asik and Derrick Rose assisting/scoring on 21 of the 34 points scored in the fourth quarter erased that 19-point deficit and gave the Bulls their fifth victory of the season.

The Final Run Down:Trailing 73-72 with 16.3 seconds left, the Bulls were left to foul Jeff Teague, who missed both free throws at the line. Asik came up with the board and Coach Thibodeau called a 20-second timeout.

Rose up top, drove in the layup to take a slim 74-73 lead with 9.9 seconds to go. Rose scored 17 of his 30 points in the final quarter. On defense, Luol Deng was called for a questionable foul. Al Horford initiated contact as Deng was running around a screen. Horford made one-of-two at the line, tying the game at 74 apiece with 7.7 seconds left.

Coach Thibs made a call to put Joakim Noah back in the game; Noah was 0-4 on the floor and was in foul trouble. Deng in bounded the ball to Noah on top, who immediately finds Deng cutting to the basket for the game winning layup.

Deng finished with 21 points and eight rebounds, Asik grabbed nine rebounds and blocked three shots and Carlos Boozer chipped in 11 points and nine rebounds.

Final Thoughts:

The Bulls may be short-handed in the point guard section, leaving Rose with too many minutes and no time to rest. They can’t win every game the same way they did against Atlanta. They need to play a full 48-minutes of intensity and they can’t keep settling for those jump shots, if you are shooting 15-54, you better penetrate that lane and drive your little heart out. There are other ways to score. They are going to have to show more patience.

The big men have to come out and play. The refs do not seem to like Chicago very much, I see those same questionable calls too. Joakim Noah should be a role model for all players because nothing went his way last night but he kept his head in the game, cheered his teammates on and was a part of the game winning play.

Tonight the Chicago Bulls host the Memphis Grizzlies and try to record their 3^rd straight victory in their home opener tonight. The Bulls back-to-back wins starred Derrick Rose and his aggressive demeanor on the court.

Friday versus the Los Angeles Clippers in LA, Rose posted 29 points and 16 assists (one shy of tying his career high). He also shot 57 percent on the floor (8-for-14 on the floor, 3-for-4 behind the arc). Richard “Rip” Hamilton also broke out of his shell that night with 16 points and five rebounds. Someone the Bulls desperately need to take some pressure off Rose.

“Knowing that guys don’t need any pick-and-roll; they can just score. That makes us tough, makes me feel good knowing I have shooters.” – Derrick Rose on Bulls’ offense this season

Another name comes to mind, Luol Deng. This season he is putting up 18.5 ppg and 7.8 rpg. If the Bulls can keep having performances like this, the possibilities are endless.

The only area the Bulls need to really work on is taking care of the ball and their defense. After giving up 20 turnovers against the Warriors, the Bulls have brought the average down from 18 to 16 per game. A number I am sure that Coach Thibodeau and the Bulls will bring down as they progress. The defense is allowing their opponents score 96.3 points per game.

The Memphis Grizzlies’ big men, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph are averaging 35.3 ppg and 17.7 rpg combined.

The Bulls will need to keep their momentum going to bring the Madhouse on Madison to life tonight for the first time since preseason versus the Indiana Pacers December 20.